


Everything You Ever Wanted

by Coffee_and_Cigarettes



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dean Winchester Deserves Better, F/M, Fluff, Protective Dean Winchester, Single Parent Dean Winchester, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:28:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29782359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coffee_and_Cigarettes/pseuds/Coffee_and_Cigarettes
Summary: Dean finally gets the family he's always wanted but his short-lived marriage ends in disaster. Now, raising his daughter by himself he is faced with another obstacle when his ex wants to take his child from him. Just when Dean thinks he is not destined to experience real love, a woman walks into his life and makes him believe in a Happily Ever After.
Relationships: Dean Winchester/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Everything You Ever Wanted

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still not over the finale and never will be. In this AU Dean gets the happy ending he deserves.

It was not Dean's day. He was drowning in work, sprinting from one meeting to another all morning and the phone wouldn't stop ringing. His company had the chance to buy out another, smaller corporation and now they had to check the figures, do the math and make an offer the other party couldn't possibly resist. The cherry on top of this already crappy day was yet another call that came in only fifteen minutes before his next meeting. It was his ex-wife.

_Fan-fucking-tastic_. Still, he told his secretary to put her through.

"Yeah? What is it? I'm busy, make it quick." He put her on speakerphone and resumed typing on the keyboard, determined to send out the couple of e-mails he was writing before he had to join another conference.

_"Good morning to you, too, Dean. Is this how you handle your business transactions? Sweetie, I'm not sure even you can be_ that _charming to get away with this kind of tone."_

Dean held back a frustrated groan at the sound of her chirping voice. He hated it the way she always called him _sweetie_. The muscle in his jaw ticked as he gritted his teeth. "You called to share your advice on how to run a business with me or you actually got something to discuss?"

_"I'm just teasing, Dean. No need to get mad."_ She let out a laugh. _"I wanted to talk to you about our daughter."_

"Ah. What about her?" He was upset. It seemed to be his default state whenever he talked to his ex.

_"I want to go out for dinner tonight. There's something I'd like to discuss with the both of you."_

Dean muttered a curse and stopped typing. He turned in his chair and pressed a button on the phone, gripping the receiver too tightly as he put it to his ear, "It's Friday. It's been a long week for us, and Mary -- "

_"I'll be gone on business trips all the time in the coming weeks. Tonight is the last time I can see you, Dean. I'm sorry, but it can't wait."_

The wave of hot anger caught him unexpectedly. He put his elbow on the desk top and buried his hand in his hair, running his fingers through the strands. Pulling his hair until the prickling sensation on his scalp extinguished the anger he felt towards the mother of his child. He took two, three deep, calming breaths.

"Fine. Have it your way, Anna. Tell me where and when."

_"Thanks. Dean, honey, you're the best."_

There was a brief pause on her end. Dean flicked his wrist to glance at his watch, grimacing when he saw he only had five minutes left until his conference call. Quickly, he sent out the e-mails he had managed to write.

"Tick-tock, Anna."

She continued in a still cheerful tone. But her voice was a little shaky, and he noticed the slight hesitation before she gave the instructions as to where she wanted for him to meet her.

"Super. 8.30. We'll be there." 

Without waiting for her reply, he ended the call.

***

The following hours passed quickly. When Dean walked out of the conference room after the last meeting for the day, the conversation with his ex-wife had already morphed into a faint memory at the back of his mind; he was tired, but in a better mood as he checked his schedule and noticed that there weren't any appointments for the rest of the afternoon. Spontaneously, he decided to do the remaining paperwork from his office at home. That way he would also get to spend some time with his daughter alone before they had to meet up with Anna for dinner.

Dean finished his coffee, shut down his computer and grabbed his briefcase. On the way out, he told his secretary that he was leaving for the day and to take messages if necessary.

He was right on time to pick up Mary from school.

***

Working from home was a bitch, but a privilege at the same time. When Dean could barely concentrate for even a few minutes, he realized he had reached his limit. He got up from behind his desk for a stretch and raised his arms over his head with a grunt; the bones in his back made a cracking sound as his muscles strained. Letting out another low groan, he grimaced and kneaded the back of his neck with one hand briefly and stepped out of the room to go downstairs.

Dean walked over to the kitchen area and found his little girl sitting at the island just like he had left here there two hours before. She was still doing her homework in utter concentration.

Mary's textbooks, notes and pens and pencils were scattered around her. Her nose was stuck in a novel she was reading, a slight frown on her face. Without interrupting her task, she puffed out a breath of air and changed her position slightly, folding one leg underneath her and leaning forward until the stool tilted onto two of its legs and she had to balance her weight in the right way not to fall off.

It hit him that he still needed to tell Mary about dinner, and his smile faded.

"Hey M, how about a break?"

"Cocoa?" Mary looked up and saw her father rummage around, pour milk into a pot and put it on the stove to boil. "With whipped cream and marshmallows?"

Dean glanced over his shoulder at her, giving her his warmest daddy-smile. "Yeah, knock yourself out. We deserve a treat today."

Mary pushed her school things aside to make room on the kitchen island. Dean placed a cup of hot cocoa in front of her and sat down in the stool beside her.

He nodded towards her book. "Whatcha got there, apple pie?"

" _The Giver_. I've got a lit quiz next week." Mary answered. She poured some whipped cream into her cup and slid the can over to Dean.

"You like it?"

"Can't tell you yet." She shrugged her shoulders and scrunched up her nose, making Dean chuckle.

"Okay, keep me posted."

"Will do. You got a lot of work today, huh?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, afraid so, kiddo. I'm sorry."

"Yikes." Mary hopped off her stool, grabbed a bag of marshmallows from the cabinet and returned to her seat.

He heaved a sigh and took a sip from his cup, hesitated a second, but then still added some whipped cream from the can. The day had been too stressful and was about to get even worse, but he tried not to dwell on it.

Mary dunk one marshmallow into her cup before plopping it into her mouth and stirred until the rest of white whipped cream dissolved. Dean smirked and watched his daughter for a few seconds, just enjoying this often too rare and quiet moment with her. Traces of cocoa stuck to the corners of her mouth and he wiped it away with his thumb, causing her to frown in irritation and bend away from him so he wouldn't reach her, which in turn made Dean chuckle and mumble an apology. Chewing, she leaned over to him and sunk a piece of marshmallow into his cup in retaliation with a grin. Drops of cocoa splashed and landed on the blank surface of the island.

"Ooops!" Mary giggled and Dean's chest tightened with the love he felt for his little girl as he smiled back at her.

"Listen, Mary..." He finally said, clearing his throat and licking his lips. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Oh-oh." Mary looked up at him with curious eyes. But she was also on guard.

"Your mother called this morning."

Slowly, his daughter's demeanour changed. It was minute, but Dean noticed how her shoulders slumped and her smile faded a little.

She didn't look at him when she asked, "What'd she say?"

Dean reached over to her and brushed her honey-coloured hair back, tucking one long strand behind her ear and stroking up and down her back. It worked; Mary turned to him and looked up, looked at his face.

"She wants to have dinner tonight and tell us something."

Mary frowned. "But it's Friday, dad. We wanted to make pizza and watch TV. You said I can stay up 'til midnight if I want to."

"Yeah, I know, baby. I'm sorry." Dean's voice dropped even lower, got rougher. "Couldn't get out of it, she said it's really important." It irked him to disappoint his baby girl when they had plans. And it made him furious that his ex ruined something for Mary that she had been looking forward to all week.

"Do I have to go?"

"I'm not gonna make you if you don't want to, baby, you know that." Dean reassured her gently, "But you didn't get to see your mom for a really long time now and - "

Mary started shaking her head, and he interrupted himself. Her frown deepened, and then she looked at him sharply with glistening green eyes. "Why didn't she call me or text me, too? Why didn't she ask me if I wanted to see her?"

Mary's question was justified. It also took him by surprise. Dean licked his lips and swallowed the lump in his throat; his daughter's gaze was too intense. He didn't know what to say to her mother's defence and not hurt her.

"Honestly... I don't know, apple pie." He admitted after a solid ten seconds of silence. He let out a heavy sigh, scratched at his cheek, "Listen, I'mma call her and ask for a rain check, okay?"

"No, dad. It's okay, you should go or she'll be mad. You know how she gets."

Mary knew her mom would blame her dad for cancelling dinner and she didn't want her to be mad at him. Dad didn't know, but she always complained about him and told Mary what a flawed and difficult man he was and not to trust men like him. Mary never told him though, and continued to keep quiet about it; her parents didn't get along as is, and she didn't want to add gasoline to the fire. Mary never dreamed about her parents getting back together, she never wanted that.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I can spend a few hours by myself, don't worry, daddy."

"Nah, you're not staying home alone, apple pie. I'll ask uncle Sammy to come over."

"Great. We can finally watch _His Dark Materials_." Mary squinted her eyes at him, the corners of her lips twitching as she tried not to laugh. She knew of her dad's distaste for the books and show.

Dean rolled his eyes, playing along. "The books are freakin' creepy, M. I'll never get why you and Sammy like 'em." He got up and refilled their cups with the rest of cocoa which was only luke-warm now.

"But what about our movie night, daddy? I really wanted to make pizza tonight." She asked in a quiet voice, and Dean's heart broke a little.

"I know, apple pie. Me too. Next Friday, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart. Have I ever broken a promise to you, M?"

* * *

Dean arrived at the Italian restaurant where he was supposed to meet his ex-wife for dinner a few minutes early. Anna wasn't there yet.

A waiter guided him to a table and he took his seat and ordered a glass of her favourite white wine for her and a beer for himself. He thanked the young man and leaned back in the chair, taking a minute to prepare mentally for their conversation.

Five minutes later, he spotted her among the other guests as she headed towards him with a polite smile. Dean was not ashamed to check her out, his eyes focused only on her.

The deep royale blue dress with a stripe of lace at the seam of her skirt and sleeves highlighted her fresh tan and accentuated the curves of her body in just the right way -- not too fancy, not too conservative. Her outfit was perfect. _She_ was perfect.

He stood up when she reached the table, but she gestured for him to sit down again and took her place across from him.

"Dean. Thank you for meeting me."

Dean simply nodded, his tongue darted out briefly to lick his bottom lip as he moved around a little in his chair. He felt a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach. "You look good. How have you been?"

Anna let out a hearty laugh and lifted one hand to brush her long brown hair back over her shoulder. "Yeah, I look very good, because I actually _am_ good, Dean. _So_ good."

"That's great to hear." Dean commented, his voice turning a little hoarse towards the end, and he had to clear his throat.

The waiter brought their drinks and the brief distraction as he placed them in front of them gave Dean some time to compose himself.

"Oh, sweetie, you're such a gentleman. You remembered my favourite wine." She said with a smile after taking a sip from her glass.

Dean smirked at her and took a deep breath before taking a soothing drink of ice-cold beer. Without granting her another glance, he focused his attention on the menu. His throat was dry, his stomach felt like it was filled with lead. And it had only been five minutes in the presence of his ex. _Fucking great_.

***

"I have great news!" Anna announced with a bright smile after the waiter had taken their orders and left them alone. Her blue eyes sparkled under the dim lights of the restaurant. "I'm getting married."

Dean raised an eyebrow, his jaw tightening slightly. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, I've never been this happy, Dean." She folded her hands on the edge of the table; the light broke in the diamond of her engagement ring and the rolex on her left wrist.

Dean smirked, the corners of his eyes crinkled but the smile was not warm, and clicked his tongue, "Nice rock."

Anna ignored his comment and reached for her glass of wine. "You and Mary have to come to the wedding, I'd like for her to be a bridesmaid."

Dean gritted his teeth, taking a discreet glance at his watch. His ex had mentioned their daughter only after a quarter of an hour into their miserable conversation. And then it was in relation to her selfish needs; because she wanted something from her.

"I would've loved to tell her in person." She continued to speak when Dean didn't say anything. "Did you tell her I wanted to have dinner with you both?"

"Of course." Dean replied dangerously low and ran a hand through his hair, mussing up his accurate side-part until the spiky strands were in disarray. "She didn't want to come with."

Anna blinked rapidly and pressed her lips into a thin line, her hand curled around her glass of white wine and she set it down on the table a tad too hard. "Well, I'm sorry for asking, Dean, but how am I supposed to know that you're not keeping my daughter from me on purpose?"

Dean let out an angry puff of air and opened his mouth to attack her in turn, but the waiter came with the plates of their food and he had to lean back in his chair. He resolved to shaking his head in quiet, seething anger.

His ex looked up at the young man and thanked him with a bright smile while he barely mustered a nod to acknowledge him. They waited until they had privacy again.

"I would never keep her from you. You think I don't want Mary to have a relationship with her mother?" Dean said in a low growl, keeping his tone as calm as possible. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he started a proper argument with her in a restaurant full of people.

She sniffed in irritation and looked down at her plate to pick up knife and fork, cutting into her steak with short aggravated jabs. "I'm trying, Dean. You know how difficult this is for me? I can't get through to her, I don't know how to -- "

"Sweetheart, that's your fucking problem -- Sorry, I -- " He hung his head, closed his eyes for a second. "I'm sorry, Anna."

Anna kept quiet and avoided looking at him. Dean sighed, took a big gulp from his beer and wished it were something stronger.

They ate their food in charged, uncomfortable silence for a minute as both of them tried to stay civilized.

"You've had twelve years so far." Dean looked out the window into the darkness of the evening. "A dozen of chances to form some sort of friendship with her at least. But you just keep breaking her heart."

"I know I've been a bad mother to her, but that doesn't mean that I'm not a caring and loving person. I helped raise Ashley's son since the age of six and I've been a good parent to him." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm really trying to redeem myself here, and I think my wedding would be a great bonding experience..."

"Okay... okay, you're right."

When Dean nodded and didn't object, she took it as a sign to go on, "We don't have a date yet, but we're thinking a summer wedding would be nice. For our honeymoon, we're going to Bali and after that we're gonna spend all of summer travelling through Europe before moving in August. We bought a house in the suburbs. It's a wonderful neighbourhood, quiet and safe. A lot of green, ideal for children."

"Well, I'm real happy for you and Ashley." Dean bit out sarcastically, his smile a mere grimace before the corners of his lips dropped completely. He just couldn't help it.

"Don't be like this, Dean." Anna glared at him, stabbing into a piece of meat with her fork.

"Why the fuck are you telling me about all this crap, then?" Dean rubbed his breastbone, feeling heartburn coming on. He looked at the half-eaten piece of steak on his plate. This woman was going to give him a heartattack before the age of fifty.

Anna let out a breath and lightly wrapped her fingers around the string of pearls around her neck. "I want Mary to come live with us in the new house."

"Excuse me?" An ice-cold shiver ran down his spine; his nerve-endings seemed to be vibrating right underneath his skin.

"It'll be good for her. She can finish the year at her current school, change in the fall and start the new grade at her new school -- "

"Stop." Dean put up a hand. "Stop. Talking. 'Cause you are really starting to piss me off..."

"Dean... ?"

"Fucking hell... you got me there for a second, sweetheart." He chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Unbelievable. For a second, I thought you were for real and wanted to get to know your daughter."

"Dean, I don't understand -- "

Her face fell when he jumped out of his seat and walked around the table to her. She looked up at him as he towered over her.

"Just look at you..." His eyes roamed over her, took in her appearance from her perfectly styled hair to her impeccable manicure and down to her long legs and feet in black Gucci stilettos. "You're perfection. Fuck, I used to be so crazy about you."

Before she even had the chance to say something to her defence, Dean braced one hand on the table and leaned down to her. He caught the scent of her perfume, felt her breath on his face and noticed how she stiffened.

"I loved you." He whispered close to her ear, "I fought so hard for us to be a family, but I guess I was just that stupid to fall for your tight cunt."

He straightened up and stepped back. He looked tired with dark circles under his eyes. Disappointed.

"Why are you so vulgar with me?" Anna whispered in a shaky voice, eyelashes fluttering in utter shock.

Dean ignored her remark. He grabbed his glass of beer and gulped the rest down, took out his wallet and dropped a couple hundred dollar bills onto the table. "We're done here, I'm going home to _my_ daughter. Dinner's on me."

"Dean, please, listen to me. I'm just asking you for shared custody, I want to do right by her."

"You've had shared custody this whole time."

"I didn't mean for it to come out like that, let me explain -- " She demanded, keeping her impressive composure.

"You don't deserve a kid like Mary. From now on, you'll only get to see her with my permission if she wants to contact you." He said coldly.

"Dean, wait -- !"

"I'll ask to call a cab for you." Turning around, he didn't give her the chance to say more, and left her alone at the restaurant.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
